La Roux Pull Out of Lilith Fair Dates

UK duo La Roux have been generating plenty of heat with their breakout single, 'Bulletproof.' But it seems touring has taken a toll on singer Elly Jackson, who has been forced to scratch the band's Lilith Fair appearances this week.

The electro-pop group has posted "Cancelled" on their MySpace page next to a pair of shows -- one on Wednesday in Detroit and the other on Saturday in Toronto -- and after a review in the Chicago Tribune reported Jackson was out of commission with laryngitis, it looks like ceaseless touring may be tiring her out.

Jackson's fatigue is understandable, considering she handles all the public aspects of the group, including music videos and live performances. Her bandmate Ben Langmaid prefers to stay at home and out of the limelight.

"When we started this project, we'd agreed that it would just be me doing the pop star part of it, the photo shoots and interviews," she tells Spinner. "Ben wanted to have more of a background role. When I'm on stage, I have my band with me -- Mickey [O'Brien], Mikey [Norris] and William [Bowerman] -- so I don't feel like I'm on my own."

Flying solo seems to have worked in La Roux's favour, as Jackson's public image -- androgynous, glam and coiffed -- has ignited tabloid frenzies (mostly about her sexuality) and elicited comparisons to famously androgynous synth-poppers like David Bowie and Blondie.

But Jackson insists her lifestyle is much tamer than her image would suggest.

"I don't see myself as a 'celebrity,' I see myself as a musician. I don't go to parties just to be 'seen,'" Jackson says. "I've been dealing with [fame] by being very un-rock 'n' roll and doing lots of exercise and eating healthily.

"La Roux is my stage persona," she continues. "I have to get into character before I go on stage, get the shiny jackets and shoes on. I don't look like this at home when I'm watching TV."

Jackson says she is laying the groundwork for a "smoother and sexier" follow-up album while on tour. She's been listening to lots of funk and disco, and with a voice that has matured a lot since the release of La Roux's self-titled debut record, this could signal a new direction for the duo.

But between sleeping, eating, press and gigs, musical genius is difficult -- especially when her creative partner is usually a continent away.

"I am getting ideas down, but it's not the same as spending proper time in the studio with Ben," Jackson reveals. "We are a duo, and we will write the second record together, so it's hard to do [that] when I'm on tour and he isn't.

"Also, touring just isn't the right environment for writing -- there's too much going on, too many people. Then there's the risk you'll end up writing songs about your hotel room and sound like a right d--khead."